Sideways Stories from Wayside School

Sideways Stories from Wayside School is a children's book written by Louis Sachar and published in 1978. It if the first book in the Wayside series. The book has been particularly successful going through several editions and many different printings. It has also been adapted to a cartoon and a play.

Personal

I had the book read to my class, in elementary school. I believe in second grade, but I'm not sure. I really loved the silliness of the book and it convinced me to buy a copy of Sideways Arithmetic from Wayside School, which, although I had a hard time grasping, but it was still a great way to help teach math in a fun way. As a parent, I listened to the audiobook with my daughters.

Review

Good

• The book is hilariously silly with tons of illogical humor that appeals to both kids and adults.
• I like how the chapters are fairly discrete, each one dealing with a different student or faculty member, although there is still an overarching theme to the whole book.

Bad

• Some of the language and behavior the children exhibit (hitting, calling each other "stupid," etc.) may have been commonplace in the 1970s, but feels a bit out of place today with the improvement of anti-bullying in classes.
• Although she's certainly an improvement over Mrs. Gorf, Mrs. Jewls is still a horrible teacher. She's completely unfair with rule enforcement, makes very ridiculous statements to her class, and is often largely unaware with what is going on. While she sounds fun in the stories, I would hate to have her as a teacher.

Ugly

• Nothing.

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